You might want to check out John Irvin's adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's last, and posthumously published, novel Gates of Eden, an adult melodrama with fine period detail and pictorial splendor. Catarina Murino gets to show her acting chops about a third of the way into the film in a more substantial role than she had in Casino Royale. She plays an Italian heiress who complicates the lives of a young married couple who are honeymooning on the Riviera after WW1. Catarina's beauty is in full flower and she is not shy. Although she's very good in the film, one gets the impression that only a fraction of her emotional range is called upon:

A slightly censored version made it to the DVD, and the ending was changed so as not to frighten American audiences.

Of all the European actresses I've seen lately, Catarina could bat the ball out of the park if she were given a really good role. There's a female Brando in there trying to burst out.

has anything even remotely equaled (tho definitely exceeded) the definitively-decisive extremes (Now) the above elicited. And it’s fundamentally fair to say it’s not gonna abate any, uh, EON soon so tis probably best to simply Agree a substantial number of us are Always – In All Ways – not agree on anything connected with it – and still be open enuff to have friendly drinks about it, anyway.

That such impassioned perspectives are routinely the rich result of everyone’s involvement with this franchise only testifies again to the passion we all still derive from it.

“You’re More’n Welcome” Department:

As for your kind compliment, Richard, we’re gobsmacked in the extremis (coming from you) - and considering the now comical-conflict with which we both entered each other’s life – we consider it something we don’t take lightly. We’ve also a suspicion amounting to a quiet certainty we may have more in common – or at least stimulating viewpoints to share – than not, so if’n tyme, opportunity and inclination arise, please feel free to drop us a non-matrix line at theyearoftheone@hotmail.com.

The power of Ursula's impact in "Dr. No" began with her great entrance from the sea. Very few Bond girls afterwards ever got to have an entrance reminiscent of hers.

But IMO, Jill St. John sort of got her version of that moment with her entrance in "Diamonds Are Forever".

And again on the oil rig!

While I still believe that Tiffany Case would have been the ideal Bond girl part for Raquel Welch in her prime, Jill St. John did an excellent job and after having done a Bond knockoff film before, "The Liquidator" it was nice she got to graduate to the real deal at the latest point in time when it was still viable for her to do this kind of film.

she was the first one The Great Scot confided he wasn't going to go beyond his Bondage return in that film - no doubt much to the chagrin of Messrs. Broccoli & Saltzman who probably had nightmares of "Oh noooooo, not a rerun of that Other Feller from the film before " ).

One aspect we've always admired is, unlike some of her 'Seriously, I'm an Actress' sisthren before and aft, she never apologized, felt ashamed or in any way felt her appearance was in a Bond film either belittled or was beneath her.

Quite the contrary, she's always been immensely proud (and her fan mail re Tiffany Case to this day evidently STILL over-shadows virtually any and everything else she's done.

That Jill would give such a memorable performance on "The Big Valley" as well as the "Batman" pilot episode, where she had top billing over lead guest villain Frank Gorshin, is a testament to her remarkable willingness in the 1960s to do TV guest shots even *after* she had already established herself as a bona fide movie leading lady. I honestly can't think of another of her contemporaries in that period who was able to effortlessly go back and forth between big film roles and big TV guest shots in that period.

Only this week I saw her on TV in an episode of Batman where she played Riddler's assistant, as you say, opposite Frank Gorshin. She was a stunning lady even then but always thought she looked her best in Diamonds and Tony Rome.

BeeCee, you really oughta track down that hallmark ep with The Battlin' Barkleys we shared similar golden teevee mem'ries of with Eric.

Not only is the lovely lady's radiance incontestable, she has a final anguished line that's one of the most memorably HEARTBREAKING we've ever heard (not surprisingly since it was also written by a woman!).

The Craig films have made so many nods to GOLDFINGER, what with the dead girl "painted" in black oil and two appearances of an antique Astin Martin, I think they should bring back Shirley Eaton for Bond 24.

She could play an elder VIP, and Bond is charged with getting her safely across London during rush hour. Along the way, they fall in love and have an October-December romance.